Sneeze guard systems heretofore have been used in restaurants, supermarkets, bakery shops, cafeterias, etc., in conjunction with food displays or settings such as serving counters, buffets, smorgasbords or the like. Such systems offer sanitary protection of the set-out food by safeguarding against contamination from airborne bacteria while permitting viewing and oftentimes access to the food display. Typically, such systems include one or more clear plastic or glass sneeze guard panels. In some systems, the sneeze guard panels are suspended as by chains from the ceiling or an overhead support, whereas in other systems panels are supported above the display by table stands, brackets, framing, etc.
For cleaning, replacement, storage, transport, etc., the sneeze guard panels in some systems desirably are detachable from their supports. Heretofore, screws, bolts and nuts, clips and other hardware items have been employed to provide for detachable securement of the panels to the supports. The use of such hardware items, however, required in many instances additional fabricating steps such as drilling of holes in the panels and/or supports for the securing fasteners. Also, the need to remove and reinstall plural fasteners took time and in some cases rendered attachment and removal of the panels particularly difficult especially in view of the large and awkward to hold panels in some systems. As other undesirable traits, the hardware items often were subject to loss or misplacement and, in an overall aesthetic design sense, often included only as a matter of necessity.